Sumitra Charat Ram

Early life and background

She was born on Diwali day in 1917 to Raja Jwala Prasad and Rani Bhagyawati in Meerut in United Provinces, now in Uttar Pradesh. Her father was Chief Engineer of Canals and Irrigation of United Province (U.P). She was youngest of her six siblings, brothers Dharam Vira, Kanti Vira, Satya Vira and sisters Yashoda and Sushila.

He elder brother Dharma Vira (1906–2000) joined ICS (1906–2000) remained Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India, was a governor of Punjab, West Bengal and Karnataka. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.

Career

After her marriage with industrialist, Lala Charat Ram of DCM Shriram Group, son of Lala Shri Ram, she gradually became an art patron. In 1947, upon the suggestion of Ravi Shankar, she took a loan of Rs. 10,000 from her father-in-law, and started Jhankar Committee in Delhi. At the turn of independence of India, princely states were abolished, which also left a large of number musicians and dancers without patronage, thus in the coming years, Jhankar provided patronage to leading musicians and artists of the time by organising musical concerts and dance performances, this included, Siddheshwari Devi, Ravi Shankar, Hafiz Ali Khan, Baba Allaudin Khan, Shambhu Maharaj, Sunder Prasad, Birju Maharaj, Durga Lal and Aminuddin Dagar.

She established Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, a performing arts and music school in 1952, where noted gurus of the time, were teachers, and noted classical singer Nilina Ripjit Singh, later known as Naina Devi as its director. Through 1950s, SBKK remained focal point for top dancers and musicians of the period, especially leading gurus of Kathak gharanas, and Delhi became a centre for cultural revival as well new creative burst in performing arts. National Institute of Kathak Dance or Kathak Kendra was originally established as the Kathak wing of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, in 1955, and was later taken over by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama in 1964.

In February 2011, the first 'Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement' established by Shri Ram Bhartiya Kala Kendra was award to Pandit Birju Maharaj .

Awards

For her contributions to the arts, in 1966, she was awarded the Padma Shri Award, fourth highest civilian honours, by Government of India.

Personal life

Charat Ram built companies like Shriram Pistons, Jay Engineering, Usha International and Shriram Industrial Enterprises Ltd. (SIEL). He died on 16 May 2007, at the age of 89, beside his wife he was survived by his sons Deepak and Siddharth, and daughters Shobha and Gauri. Her father-in-law Lala Shri Ram had established educational institutions like Lady Shri Ram College (estb. 1956), Shri Ram College of Commerce (estb. 1926) and more recently Shri Ram School in Delhi, founded by Manju Bharat Ram, wife of Bharat Ram, Lala Charat Ram's brother.

She died on 8 August 2011 in New Delhi, after a brief illness at the age of 96. She was survived by centenarian sister, and her children and grandchildren. Her daughter Shobha Deepak Singh, continues to run Bhartiya Kala Kendra.